When I first started here at the Shepparton News I was always interested to keep an eye on the messages the company received through Facebook and the comments that appeared on posts. But it only took a matter of weeks before my interest turned to disgust.
A year down the track and I could not count the amount of times I have been taken back by the words people have written as an attack on a particular staff member or story that has appeared in The News.
The fact that people are attacking these very things is not a shock, after all it almost seems like a full-time job for some to simply point out the faults of individuals and things in the world. But my concern is the fact that it is happening through social media.
We all know and we have all watched the human race gradually progress from living in the real world to relying far too heavily on technology as a means of communication. I get it, it’s the way the world has gone and it was bound to happen. But while that advanced technology allows us humans to communicate with others easier than ever before, it also opens the door for people to so easily throw out reckless words all in the touch of a button — things they would most likely not say if they were speaking face-to-face.
Early last week my colleague Ash Witoslawski wrote an opinion piece titled ‘Being meat free has rewards’, written to coincide with World Meat Free Week (June 17 to 23). Ash went into some facts to put things into perspective about the effects on the environment that come with eating meat. She then concluded by offering tips for those who wished to lower their meat intake.
Early on in Ash’s piece she said these words:
‘‘As a vegetarian of several years, I’ve never felt the need or desire to push my views on anyone else and this is another of those occasions.’’
As a meat lover myself I would say my opinion differs from Ash’s greatly, yet reading her column I did not feel pressured or forced into changing my views whatsoever.
Yet it appears the column was ‘‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’’ for some ... or one, and this particular community member was quick to let us know — voicing what came across as an aggressive opinion against that of Ash’s.
Okay, so you did not share the same view, but my question is, would you have voiced that opinion in the same way if Ash had been standing right in front of you? I think not.
All too often I think technology — particularly social media platforms — is the go-to when people feel the need to attack others. I am no longer on Facebook for that very reason.
All too often I was scrolling through my news feed to read negative comments and attacks that I do not have time for.
I remember early on in my Facebook days I ‘liked’ a page called ‘Unreal Shepparton Customer Service’. With so much negativity circulating the internet on a daily basis I was being deliberate about what I chose to allow on my news feed, and I thought given the title of that page, there was no room for negativity. But no. Despite the page’s effort to promote positivity, it was not long before people were using the page as a platform to attack local businesses rather than build them up.
Whether you disagree with someone, whether you’re unsatisfied with the customer service you receive somewhere, or you are wronged by someone — whatever it may be, social media platforms and technology is not the place to express your negative opinion.
I think some people need to stop, assess the motive behind their words and ask themselves the question: would I say these words to this person’s face if they were to be standing right in front of me? Because if the answer is no then I would say that is a clear indication that it should not be said at all.
Laura Briggs is a cadet journalist at The News.